At five years old, Mateo is right in the middle of the “age of why.” From morning to night, he asks questions. Yesterday, while we were running errands, he began his litany from the back seat of the car. 

“Why are tarantulas bigger than spiders?” “Do cows like rain?” “Why can water put out fire?” 

My first thought was “I have no idea.” I majored in English in college. Science has never been my strong suit. But I’m proud of Mateo for thinking up such good questions, and I did my best to answer. “The reason water can put out fire has something to do with oxygen. Or no,” I said. “That’s what makes fire burn.”

 “What’s ox-y-gen?” Mateo asked. “Is that like the air?” 

“Exactly. The truth is I don’t know why water puts out fire. When Daddy gets home, let’s ask him.”  (more…)

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